Vinss's Illustrated FML

Summer's here and the time is right for dancing in the streets. Or maybe not, depending on where you live. Here at FML Towers, the weather is weird. One minute the sun has got his hat on, hip hip hip hooray, and everyone and his dog is out and about in the streets in t-shirts and shades, the next it's raining cats and dogs like Wales in... any month of the year, really. At the moment, it's nice enough to break out the choc ices, so we're going to make the most of the warmth and talk illustrations and exotic birds. Let's start the engine as we set off for a quite chatty encounter.

VINSS'S ILLUSTRATED FML

"I smoke while I work, I drink Coke while I work, I use the empty cans as ashtrays... and sometimes I get them mixed up."

Self-portrait: Vinss by Vincent

This week we're welcoming Vincent, AKA Vinss. He was recommended by a friend of mine, and usually, friend recommendations regarding artists are a bit tricky, and go, "Yeah man, my friend Jason, he so good at drawing man, he designed the car from Knight Rider and shit!" Then you check out this guy Jason's work and it's a few stick men and a smudge or two, and before you know it you're headed for an awkward conversation with your friend about how you can't use Jason's work due to "time constraints" and "deadlines". Yeah, people lie. Everybody lies. In this case, no lies were required. Vincent is good. You just have to check out his blog and the illustrated FML he did for us to be convinced. See what I did there? Con-vinced? Vince convinced us. Fine, be like that.
Vincent is 37, he lives in Paris and he's an “illustrator, cartoonist, freelance graphic designer and sound engineer for live shows in a pub." A complete artist then. I can barely play the intro to "The Boy With The Thorn in His Side" on the recorder. So Vincent, Vinss, how do you approach creating things? "Each day is different, the progression is endless and the fact is that being one day 'really' happy of your drawings seems like some sort of utopia." A sentiment that seems to be shared by many talented people. It's never happened to me, if you see what I mean.

His currect projects include a comic book called "Graoo", and is in the middle of creating a website/comic book blog with some other illustrators "so we can publish our projects without having to go through, or need, editors." I like this independent spirit, a bit like Postcard Record or Creation. Not sure what I'm talking about? It's not important, but you're missing out on some great albums and tracks.

As all of of us here at FML, Vincent has a thing for Clint Eastwood, sort of a hero-worship. But who wouldn't? Dirty Harry, come on, coolest badass ever (along with Jason King). He also reckons that he'd like to "sleep for a month, draw and live on 'love and fresh water'", which sounds odd but it's a French expression. I'd just make do with the sleeping for a month part. He admits that he goes out "way too much" and has "a tendancy to party with my friends which is slightly overboard sometimes." Here at FML, we won't be the ones to cast the first stone, since we're so decadent.

As for his passions and things he likes, Vincent recommends the comic book “Battling Boy" by Paul Pope, the book “Le Déchronologue by Stéphane Beauverger, the TV show The Killing and for music Gruff Rhys. Hey, I was just talking about Wales. Small world. His favorite authors are Franquin, Frank Miller, Alan Moore, “and many more.” And what about the authors he checks out regularly? "No one in particular. I look around the Internet, in shops, and when I find something I like it becomes a compulsion." I get the same way with a certain kind of animal-shaped biscuits, Vinss likes them too but I won't mention them because I've tried getting big corporations to send me free stuff and they never do, so no free advertising. How'd you like them bananas, big pharma, huh? Made my point.

He says he was inspired to draw by his mother: "She would give me a piece of paper and a pencil whenever she wanted me to leave her alone. I've always drawn things."

To end the article, Vinss doesn't have a particular personal FML, except that sometimes, while working he'll confuse the Coca Cola can he's drinking with the one he's using as an ashtray. Yuck. Anyway, your work is excellent: this week's illustrated FML is perfect. I'm going to leave you with the song quoted at the very start of the article because it's a good song and everyone should put it on loud and dance around, any version will do (avoid the Bowie/Jagger video, though). Next week, the weather will be all over the place, a new illustrator will be with us and we'll see how that goes. Until then, be excellent to each other, and may the force of David Hassellhoff be with you.

What about you? Think you've got talent and want to contribute to the illustrated FML? Send us an email to contact@fmylife.com but only send us your blog's address and a few samples of your work. No need to create an illustrated FML straight away.

Top comments

Very nice, even if a little dark and scary with the lack of pupils towards the end. Looking at the tumblr account though I like the work with colour in them. The coloured illustrations remind me of books I read as a child. Especially the chicken one.